Molding machine



April 27, 1948. B. w. BENBOW MOLDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 20, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet l I N VEN TOR.

Buff/5 W Benbow B. w. BENBOW MOLDING MACHINE April 27, 1948.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1944 IN VEN TOR Buff/s VV. Benbow B. W. BENBOW MOLDING MACHINE April 27, 1948.

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 20, 1944 IN V EN TOR. Bur/is W Benbo April 27, 19.48. 4 B. w. BENBOW 2,440,598 MOLDING MACHINE I Filed Dec. 20, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 &

Z IE 1E r8 IN V EN TOR. Barf/s W Ben bow 'QBVZL Patented Apr. 27, 1948 i i UNITED @31 -2;44o,5;9s l

Momma Bu i wfien dknh tw9W Applicationinecember 20, 1a4cfise i 1 m 5e eg i l fl la ms. (Cl-118:6)

This inv n ontrel ie sge flall i adjusting the qn Jami ill 1-H l1@ ;QEE-% emmethQds-forcont nuous qlq n inr t vbel iifim lq hdw i .htom mat'erial like res lientnatueel or; synthetic ,Eigniehisnnenlaygei deta ling-swamps. mean -rubh r, and inclu in .--enart c1 1a i hsuihtins ff cil aiiesi haw ma ti ta {sheaths "suitable for elect-niceltrpl-ley wirespr conductors. n i

' fin themast ithassbeen propo-sedto tact :tzvo-lleywires onconductorsfloyuse of U A, :iinsulating material; thereby precluding a ntgl electrical contact. Rarticularly inmy-gfifatent hla a. .2g255g'8741thelje isgdisclosed e m-insule, hgeth haingrSDaCd openings in;;one. side; o egg-1e, end: adaptedmo'befiused with-ea traveling ;,contactringadevice having; a series(rob-spaced:iqfi lduotig @teeth' which areredepteditocntertpeceqopensings in :the1v insulating sheath 0 ontinuons '1 connection with; the. trolleyv conductor. fl-fhe presaent .iinvention is particulalflyszconcerned with a --ma;chine.:and :method ;:for :gcontinuqusly 2forgnim; such/insulating sheaths. @2 th n Particular objects of utheyinventionhycanxbe 9 5:1 2 :zbrieflysstatedze-s fol-lows: iTo pnovi'cie a;.;n 1acnine eniay gd sh 'awthich will carrycoutithe.;mo1ding :ope11@tion ontinuously zwith resilient materialsisuchri-asq piper 5:01" hequiva'lent synthetic igubstances; to prov 4e 2 meajnsffor propel ly ;-1ocat:ing;end c -f gv'wire within the. mol ing iflaflfii ym l fil'fib :s'a e will be rproperly P fo med clongitudine i wo the sheath to taccommodates-a.amndi qtflri wh i ure.

enable-:proper feeding; of: nubbenstock to the m 1denthe-line:fi wherebythedesiredgformlofthew imshcz product 7 ciswmaintained; -to;;p1"ov1' time;v machine ion will prevent undue deviations fromvafiesi d-;d1mene" a he etrubberdstoo i a whereby the wire. isareturned tosbhecmachinemnd n excused? continuously. t V @AnOther object .of the'iinvention. toepnovide -a 'machine and method whichvimakest possible 2 1 continuous molding of products from a stnipwof rubber stock or like material, and whiolvenables quantity production Witha m-inimumeamount of "labor. 7 m4 3 '"Further objects;and ieatures oi the in enti n will appear from 'Ithef following fiqe cr ipt ion in which the preferred}cmbodimem; has; been set 'forth' in detail inicotil'unctioniwith lthe eccoinw panyingn drawing.

@Referring to the drawing: h i' es 1a,.1b an t e m h el hi nur ighmlillustrate portions of the ma chineg'in, side elevaition. V ZI-Zigure- 2 Nissanend view showing.dmeens jor fifi s. a

3 ing wheel ill has suitable journals or bearing blocks 21 for journaling the same on the main frame 22. The endless metal belt l I, which tracks upon a portion of the periphery of the molding wheel, also engages the pulley wheels 23, 24 and 25. Wheels 23 and 25 have fixed journals to the main frame, while wheel 24 is lournaled upon the sliding bearing blocks 21. As suitable means for adjusting blocks 21, threaded rods 28 extend rearwardly from these" blocks, and are engaged by nuts, which in turn are carried by the gear wheels 29. These gears are engaged by a common pinion; 3| which in turn is operated by the hand wheel l V be accurately seated upon the ends of the teeth 32 Thus by turning this hand wheel thetensionupon the endless belt I I can be varied. I

l 4.15 It will be noted that pulley wheels 2 3 and 25 are located so that the band contacts the periphery of T-Y 38,39 and; In'thefinal assembly these rings can be permanently attached to the. body of the wheel, by welding, or they may be made repl'ac'eable by utilizing clamping screws 4| or like clamping devices for retaining the rings in place. The rings in this instance; are proportioned to form a series. of laterally spaced grooves or moldmsl cavitie '42, with aseries or spaced teeth 43 within each cavity. (Figures;9, l0.) It is' desirable to have the teeth connected by shallow rib 44, *and't'o have the ends ofthe teeth grooved as indicatedat 45 to seat the wire'l 2.

j" Heating of therimmaybe by use of electrical jelements' but in "this instance-it is carried out by "steamu Thus the rim of the wheel'isshown provided with a steam chamber or cavity '(Figure "6-) which is connected atspaced points with radialsteam tubesor pipes l1; These pipes connect with'the hub 48 and duct 5lJ-of the wheel and comm unicate with the steam supply pipe 49. This pipe can connect to -'a"suitablesource of steam through a pressure regulator 51. The steam V chamber in the-wheel is also connected with condensate exhaust pipes 52 which lead to the opposite end of the wheel hub 48",whereby condensate is discharged through the hub-duct 53. (Figure 6.), In order to control removal of the condensate-- at periodic intervals, each-pipe 52 is provided with a'valve'54 having an operating stem 56' adapted to be, depressed to permit how of condensate.

Mounted upon a lever 55 there isa cam wheel 51 (Figure 6a) located'within the'path of movement of operating stem 55,;so that as the valves pass I this wheel they are momentarily-operated to permit discharge of-condensat. {Each valve is operated whenits associatedp ipeconnects witha portion of the wheelrim-whi'ch-is lowermost. Le-

ver55 ispivotally attached to a bearing block 2| I of .the frame and can be adjusted by screw 58. r g

-The drive means for the main molding wheel :and the associated pulley wheel'can vary in construction, but preferably it is capable of operat- "ing at 1two speeds The drive means illustrated employs two-electric motors 59 and 50; Motor 59 has a. belt drive .to shaft 6|, which extends from the shaft of the molding wheel if Motor 65 is belted to a separate speed reduction gearing 5B, which has a shaft 61 aligned with shaft GI, and adapted to be connected to the same by the manual releasable clutch 68. Motor 59 and its associated drive elements can be adapted to drive the molding wheel at a speed suitable for use in setting up the machine such as about A; revolution per minute, and motor Gilcan beused to secure an operating speed such as about- 0.l revolution per minute. When using motor 68, motor 59 has its belt drive disconnected, and clutch B8 is engaged. During the molding operation wire I2 must ,43 substantially as shown in Figures 9 and 10.

Generally the wire is of substantial dimensions,

:s'uchas for'example from A. to /8 of an inch indiameter, and therefore it is relatively stifi and resists bending. It has been found diificult to feed the wire to the molding cavity in such a* manner that itsproper seating upon the end teeth 43 is insured at all times. Oscillating device 13 provides novel means for solving this problem, and'it functions by continually oscillating the wire l2 laterally as it is advanced under tension into the molding cavity. The particular oscillating means illustrated consistsof a roller ll provided with grooves 12, to accommodate thewires l2. Thisiroller is rotatably mounted upon a shaft, the ends '01 which have pivotal connections -13 with the oscillating arms 14, 16. The upper ends of these arms are cross connected by links 11. The lower ends have pivotal connection" 18 with a bracket 19, which in turn is attached to the frame of the machine. Arm 14 has 'journaled to a crank arm 89, driven at a proper rate by the motor 9|. While the rate of oscillation can vary, in practice good results have *b'een secured withabout 2 to 4 oscillations per minute with the molding wheel rotating at about 0.1 R. P. M. As shown in Figures 11) and 3 the =-wire I2 is applied to the machine under tension, 50

ment with one of the grooves 12. l The amplitude of oscillations can likewise'vary, but in practice good results have been secured with an ampli- "tude of about 2 inches, where the roller H is located about 20 inches from the region where the wireis engaging the teeth 43, This arrangeand is caused to pass under roll H in engagement is suitable for wire-ranging from say to or an inch in diameter. With respect to the speed of rotation of the molding wheel (which in the foregoing example was about 0.1 revolutionper minute), it should be correlated with the oscillating movement so that after the wire contacts, a tooth it is given more than one complete oscillation before it is caused to contact a succeeding tooth. Thus as the wire approaches and is seating upona tooth 43 it has slight oscillating movement in a. lateral direction, which thereby insures proper and accurate seating upon the curved or concave surface 45.

Wire I2 is preferably an endless loop and is reused in successive molding operations. As prevvi ously mentioned the finished sheath I6 is caused gearing engages a gear which is attached to" to pass through chilling means ll to be presently described, after which itpasses eventually. to a slitting mechanism 93, which cuts the sheath along' its back side as will be presently described, whereby the sheath can be: stripped from the inner wire,- Thereafter the wire 1511001361 over the idlerpulley 94; and then returned-to the machine. This arrangement not only serves to permit reuse of an endless loop or wire, but in addition it maintains a proper tension upon the wire being fed to the molding Wheel. 7

The rubber 'stock supplied to the machine is preferably preformed to facilitate its application to the molding cavity, A suitable shaping is illustrated in Figures 15 and 16. Briefly it is an elongated body generally rectangular in cross sectional contour, with a continuous groove 96 extending through one side, the groove being located between the side portions 91, A considerable length of this rubber stock can be kept upon a suitable reel, and is fed to the machine over the top "of the pulley wheel 23 (Figure 7-). In" order to properly locate the rubber stockupon the periphery of'the wheel 23, an arcuate supporting bracket IIfI is provided and attached to this bracket are the spacing 'andguide pins I02. The rubber stock is caused to pass between successive pairs of guidepins whereby it is located in the "same vertical plane 'as its corresponding moldingcavity.

' Special means shown in Figures l and '5 is utilized for urging or crowd-in'g the'rubber stock into the moldingcavit'y, This means makes use of a pluralityof spaced parallel fingers I llfiywhich are carried by the fixed bracket bar I01, and which are adapted to be positioned between adjacent lengths of rubber stock. Pivot pins or shafts I 08, I09 and II-Il extend through these fingers and serve to journala series of special wheels and rollers. Thus each shaft I08 and I-I-0 carries wheels I 'I I and the smaller rollers I-I 2, Pin Hi9 carries the rollers =I-I-3. "-Ihegrouping of these wheels and rollers can be seen from Figure 4, and is the same for the space between each pair of fingers I06. Thus eachwhee1'=I H is located between a pair or rollers -'I I-2, and rollers II3 are aligned with the rollers I Il. All of the small rollers are provided-with grooved periphcries. Wheels II I l are formed to extend within the groove 95 of the rubber stock. "Rollers "H2, H3 engage theend faces of the stock portions -9'I,andtogether With'wheels II I they press the 'stock against the endless metal band II :which at that time is interposed between the rubber stock and the periphery of vvheel 23; a-result, the stock is-urged ior crowded toward the mold- :in'g cavity'in the direction of its lengthgdue to thefa'ct ithat 'thevelocity of the surface of beIt I I, in the zone where the :rubber stock .is crowded against "the :same, is slightly greater than the rate with which th'estock"can be supplied to the cavity, thus causing 1a. slight slippage.

The chilling means I'l is*prcfra bly- 0f* typ *whi'ch discharges 'a spray of "water upon the sheath. "Thus this chillin'g'meansman consist of an-open. ended'box I I IG'through which the sheath is "caused to pass, and within "which there :is a watersprayipipe I I'I,i-conne'cted =to the water sup- Eplyhose 118. On the low'er "side of the hood IIG there is a collecting 1pan I9 wconnected L te the -drainlp'ipe I-2- I. Within the :h'ood' are one-or more *laterally 'extehding shafts I2 2, carrying the rollers H 2 3, upon which the sheath rests; The entire chilling device can be si1itably supportedtby the stationary bracket I24. iUpon leaving the chilling -dvice -I l the sheath can zpass an-drestupon a lateral red 1126 carried -by 'zthei stationaryrisupport arrnsI z'I.I I I v-: I I

The suitable-slittin means 93 illustrated (Fig ure 1c) consists of a" flangedroller I28 (Figure 14) journaled to a supporting frame I29. The base or this frame carries the Vertical side guide rollers HI, and also laterally extending guide rollers I32. Between rollers '32 there is a thin vertical cutting blade I33 carried'bythe-mounting block I34. This blade'can be-adiustedverticalhr by set screw 136. As shown in Figure lc-the finished sheath is caused to pass underneath roller I28, over rollers 1 32 and between the guide roilers I3I. As it passes throughthe devicein this manner the upper end of blade 133 slits the lower side of the sheath to the depth of the innerwire, along a plane accurately located midway between the sides. "Thereaitenthe sheath can be removedas shown'in Figure 1c,thus leaving "thewire 12 free for continmngtothe Pulley 94.

Figures 11 and 12iiiustrate a typical finished sheath. It has an accurately located passage extending longitudinally of the same, which is adapted to receive atro'iley wire or cable 4*! I. The back side of-the sheath '"lsgsiit, asindicated at J42, whereby the sheath can be distorted for application to a trolley wire. After such application suitable clamping'means can be applied toreta'in-the slot 1-42 closed duringnormal use. "The other side of the'sheath isprovidedwith regularly spaced recesses +43 separated by the -'gear-"iike tjeeth M4. The conducting teeth "of a "traveling contacting device are adapted "to enter recesses M3 for the purpose of making electrical engagement-with the trolley'wire.

Operation of the "machine as a whole can :now be reviewed 'asfdilows: A nrbberstock is selected formed substantially as illustrated in Figures 15 and 16, and of a material which will readily cure under'heat and pressure to form -a-iina-1wresilient electrical insulation. In placingthe'machine-in operation the molding wheel 4*!) and the associated pulley "wheels together with the endless metalband -II ,"are driven at 'asuitable speed; and

cavity is under considerable pressure to -=thereby causeit to flow intoall-partsofthe-cavity. "When the rubber stock 'enters the molding' oavity the wire "I2 is already in place-upon the teeth (has 'has been previously described. As the rubber progresses with rotation of themolding -wheelit is subjected to heat to curethe 'same'andcurin' is completedby the time the finished-product I8 is removed over ":the 'pulleyt25 "(Figure *ll b). At this time the sheath is at .an elevated temperature, and is subject to possible lon a tion with'resulting inaccuracy linvthe spacing between the teeth I44. However, the sheath is immediately chilled by passing itthrough the chilling device I 1, whereby it is set 'and nor-longer subjected topossi-ble deformation. From thechilling device l I the sheathpasses tothe slitting adevice-a 93, where r the back side zofsthezsheath isaslit-longitud-inally land ithesheathlremoveditromaltherdnner.wvire- The wire l2 passes over the pulley 94; andis-returned continuously to'the machine, i

In most instancesit is desirable to carry out the slitting operation as described above to remove the sheath from the inner wire. Howeverin some instances it may be desired to permanently mold the sheath upon an inner wire, in which event the slitting operation is omitted,and the wire taken off the machine together with the sheath. When using the machine in this manner the wire must be supplied to the machine from a suitable source such as a roll or reel and with suitable tension. Such wire maybe deformed to provide spurs or like surface deformations, to thereby aid bonding of the wire to the rubber. I r

.In some instances it may be desirable to trim the sheath as it leaves the chilling device IT. This can be accomplished by devices known to those skilled in the art, as for example grinding wheels disposed whereby the sheath passes into contact with the same. v

This applicationis a continuation-in-part oi my copending application Serial Number 460,512, filed October 2, 1942, now abandoned, for Molding machine.

Reference is made tomy two co-pending applications Serial No. 713,772, filed December 3, 1946; and Serial No. 713,773, filed December 3, 1946, now abandoned, both entitled Molding machine, disclosing and claiming subject matter disclosedbut not claimed herein. The subject matter disclosed but not claimed herein is disclosed and'claimed in my co-pending application entitled Molding machine and method, Serial No, 769,001, filedAugust 16, 1947, andjfiled on or about August 19, 1947,

I claim: 7

1. In a machine for continuously molding a material like rubber to form ,a'sheath for a wire or cable,a molding wheel adapted to be rotated at a predetermined rate, the wheel being provided with a groove extending around its periph- 'eralportion, means-forfeeding a wire to the grooveas the .wheel rotates, meanswithin the groovefor spacing the wire from the bottom, sides and outer edges of the groove, means for supplyinga length of moldable material to the groove in conjunction with the wire, and means for applying agroove enclosing member to the periphery of the wheel to apply pressure to the moldable material during the molding operation.

2,.In a machine for continuously molding a sheath of material like rubber to form a sheath for awire or cable, a, molding-wheel adapted to berotated at a predetermine'dspeed, the outer periphery of, the Wheel being provided with a groove corresponding with. the shape of the sheath to be molded, means for feeding a wire or cable into the peripheral groove of the Wheel,

spaced teeth constituting means for spacing the wire from the sides, bottom and outer edges of said groove, means for feeding a strip of moldable material into said groove in conjunction with the wire, and means for applying an enclosing member to the periphery of the wheel to press the moldable materialinto the groove during a molding'operation.

' 3. In a machine for the continuous molding of a sheath of rubb'er'or like material about a wire or cable, Where the finished sheath is provided with a series of openings extending through one side of the same for making electrical connection with the cable, a molding Wheel having a roove formed about its outer periphery, a series of spaced teth'mounted' upon" the molding wheel and located within the groove, the groove together with the teeth being shaped to conform with the final shaping of the sheath, means for rotating the wheel at a predetermined speed, means for'feedin'g. a. length of cable into the groove with the cable resting upon the ends of the teeth, means for feeding a strip of moldable material into the groove in conjunction with the cable, and means for applying pressure to the moldable material as the wheel is rotated.

4. A machine as in claim 3 in which the ends of the teeth are grooved to receive the cable.

5. A machine as in claim 3 in which the means for applying pressure comprises a continuous metal band in conjunction with means for applying the band to theperiphery of the wheel under tension.

6. In a machine for continuously molding a sheath of material like rubber about a wire or cable, where the finished sheath is provided with a series of spaced openings extending through one side of the sheath for making connection withthe cable, a molding Wheel adapted to be rotated at a predetermined rate, the peripheral portion of the molding wheel bein provided with a groove extending entirely about its periphery, teeth mounted'upon the wheel within the groove, the contouring of both the teeth and the groove corresponding to the contouring of the finished sheath desired, the outer ends of the teeth being grooved, means for feeding a length of cable into the groove and upon the outer ends of the teeth as the wheel rotates, means for continuously supplying a length of moldable material into the groove in conjunction with the cable, means for applying pressure to the material supplied to the groove as the wheel rotates, and means for supplying limited lateral oscillatory movement to the cable in a region near where the cable enters the groove, to assist in locating the cableupon the teeth; 7; 'A machine as in claim 6 plus means forsup plying continuous tension to the cablebeing supplied to the wheel. 7 e 7 8; ,In a machine for continuously molding a material like rubber to form a sheath for a wire or cable, a molding wheel adapted to be rotated at a, predetermined rate, the wheel being provided with a groove extending about its peripheral portion, means for feeding-a wire-to'the groove as the wheel, rotates, means within the groove for spacing the Wirefrom the bottom, the sidesand outer edges of the groove, means for supplying a, length of moldable material to the groove in conjunction with. the wire, means for applying a groove enclosing member to" the periphery of the wheel to apply pressure. to the moldable material during the molding operation, and means forchilling the molded sheathas it is removed from the wheel,

9. In a machine for. continuously molding a material like rubber to form a-sheath for a wire or cable, a molding wheel adapted to berotated at a predetermined rate, the wheel being provided with a groove extending about its peripheral portion' toforma molding cavity, an endlesswire having one portion of the same disposed within said cavity and adapted-t0 enter'and leave the cavity as theiwheel rotates, means for placing the remaining portionfof' said endless wire under tension, means within the groove for spacing the wire from the bottom, sides and outer edges of the groove, means for supplying a length of moldable" material 'to the groove in conjunction with the wire, means for applying a groove. enclosing member to the periphery of the molding wheel to apply pressure to the moldable material during 1 the molding operation, and means for slitting the sheath longitudinally to enable its removal from the wire, as the finished sheath is removed from the wheel.

10. In a machine as defined in claim 9 in which said means for spacing the wire from the bottom, sides and outer edges of the groove comprises a series of spaced teeth whereby the finished sheath is provided with spaced recesses extending through one side of the same.

11. In a machine for continuously molding a material like rubber to form a sheath for a wire or cable, a molding wheel adapted to be rotated at a predetermined rate, the wheel being provided with a groove extending about its peripheral portion, to thereby form a molding cavity, means for feeding a wire to the cavity as "the wheel rotates, means within the cavity for spacing the wire from the bottom, sides and outeredges 01. the groove, at least three pulleys associated with the molding wheel, one wheel having its periphery in close juxtaposition with the periphery of the molding wheel in a region adjacent the region where the wire is fed to the groove, means for supplying a, length of moldable material to the groove in conjunction with the wire, and an endless band tracked over the pulleys and the molding wheel, the two other pulleys being so disposed and the endless band being so tracked that the band is pressed upon a major portion of the periphery of the molding wheel to apply pressure to the moldable material during the molding operation, and is caused to track over said one pulley and pass between the periphery of the same and the molding wheel, the two other pulleys serving to guide th endless band for removal from the molding wheel and for return to said one pulley.

BURTIS W. BENiBOW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,575,700 Maranville et a1. Mar. 9, 1926 1,948,491 Brockway Feb, 27, 1934 2,303,554 Humphreys Dec, 1, 1942 

